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| Bling, Backlash & Boycotts: Drama Kicks Off Before 'Princess Agents 2' Even Hits Screens |
17-year-old rising star Huangyang Tian Tian — once dubbed the “Little Zhao Liying” — has found herself at the centre of a full-blown social media storm, and her new drama Rebirth (aka Princess Agents 2) is already taking the heat.
The fuss kicked off after Huangyang Tian Tian posted snaps from her coming-of-age ceremony (chengnian li) at Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Town Senior High School — a fairly chill rite of passage. But netizens weren’t looking at the vibes or the venue. Their eyes went straight to her ears.
Turns out, the young actress was rocking a pair of emerald earrings rumoured to be from posh British jeweller GRAFF — with an estimated price tag topping USD 300,000. That’s more than most people make in a year, and let’s just say Weibo wasn’t impressed.
Cue the digital pitchforks.
Some accused her of flaunting obscene wealth, others started poking into her family background. Before long, someone dug up the fact that her dad used to be a government official in Ya’an, Sichuan — and had links to past post-earthquake procurement projects.
That’s when things escalated.
Huangyang tried to clear the air, saying the earrings weren’t even hers — apparently they belong to her mum. Nice try, but that only fired up more questions. Why would a teenager wear something that pricey? Where did mum get it? Did dad misuse his position? Social media turned into a full-on court of public opinion.
While her father (now investigated) later came out and said the earrings were fake (a bold move, tbh), adding that he’s ready for any audit, the Ya’an city authorities had already opened a formal probe. That’s right — real-world consequences, all from a pair of earrings in a school photo.
Meanwhile, Huang Yang Tian Tian’s agency dropped a statement asking the public to chill and stop spreading what they called “harmful speculation.” But the damage? Already done.
Now her big drama comeback is hanging in the balance.
Rebirth — billed as the official continuation of 2017’s beloved hit Princess Agents — stars Huangyang alongside the ever-charming Li Yunrui, fresh off his success in Blossom. Hopes were high for the series to make a splash. But now, before a single episode’s aired, the drama’s being slapped with boycott calls across Chinese socials.
Hashtags like #BoycottChuQiaoRebirth and #HuangYangTianTianOut (in Mandarin, of course) even trended on Weibo for a hot minute.
Some viewers are furious, questioning why someone “so young, so controversial” was cast in the lead. Others feel bad for co-star Li Yunrui, who’s now caught in the crossfire despite not being involved at all. Poor bloke just showed up to film a drama and now he’s being called “jinxed” by netizens.
To make matters worse, a clip from Huangyang’s school graduation ceremony started doing the rounds — showing her singing ‘Super Hero’ with shaky breath and pitch problems. It didn’t take long before comments popped off, questioning how she even got into top-tier acting schools like the Chinese Theatre Academy (ranked 2nd) and Beijing Film Academy (6th).
“Must be connections,” one netizen snarked.
This whole saga’s sparked a much bigger debate in China’s entertainment circles: Where’s the line between a celeb’s public image and their private life? Should a teenage actress be judged for what her parents do (or don’t do)? Or is this just another case of netizens taking things way too far?
Whatever side you're on, one thing’s clear — in the age of social media, it only takes one photo to send an entire career crashing down.
As of now, there’s been no update from the Rebirth production team, and no official word on whether the show’s still on track for release. For fans hoping to see Princess Agents' legacy continue, it’s a waiting game — and the stakes just got a whole lot messier.